CELEBRATING APPRENTICESHIPS
CELEBRATING APPRENTICESHIPS IN BATH
By Fiona Scott, Features Editor
This year marked the tenth anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week( March 6-10 2017) which celebrated the positive impact made by apprentices in UK businesses. Events were held around the UK bringing together employers and apprentices to celebrate the success of apprenticeships over the last decade. Nationally the scheme is run by the National Apprenticeship Service and its aim is to continue to raise the awareness of apprenticeships as a route to a great career.
Apprenticeships are a very important part of the economy here in Bath with many employers large and small, recruiting new talent into the local workforce.
One Bath-based IT firm, Systemagic has won awards for its commitment to being an apprentice employer. Twentyone year old Jack Hayward has just qualified after completing two years of an advanced apprenticeship. Jack said:“ It’ s been absolutely brilliant. The amount I’ ve learned is unbelievable looking back. It was more than I could have ever imagined. I now feel confident talking to clients and helping them with their technical questions, queries or challenges.”
There are major changes coming to the way in which apprenticeships are funded which appear to have been largely welcomed by employers. On April 6, the new apprenticeship levy will come into force in England. This is part of the Government’ s plan to train three million more apprentices by 2020( announced in 2015).
The Government is introducing the levy and it will fall on those larger businesses with a pay bill of more than £ 3 million. Those businesses will have to pay 0.5 per cent of their total pay bill to the government to fund apprenticeships minus an allowance of £ 15,000.
This will in turn allow these businesses access to a digital apprentice service account and they will be able to access funding for their own apprentices. However, all employers should be able to access this digital platform by 2020.
Alongside these new measures is a register for apprenticeship providers where those organisations will be subject to government scrutiny around quality and finance. Any training providers with an inadequate rating from Ofsted will be excluded from the national register.
On Wednesday March 22 The Business Exchange was proud to sponsor Bath College’ s Futures Apprenticeships and Jobs Fair. Over 50 local employers with job vacancies exhibited at the college and a series of seminars and workshops were held showcasing the training schemes on offer.
Exhibitors included Bath and North East Somerset Council, Royal United Hospital, Apex Hotels, Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Burges Salmon, Mayden, Rotork and MJ Church.
Jack Hayward, Systemagic
DEVELOPING SKILLS AT BATH RIVERSIDE
Since the extensive redevelopment of Bath Riverside began in 2011, apprentices from Bath and North East Somerset have been learning skills on site, working on one of the largest regeneration projects in the South West under the guidance of Crest Nicholson Regeneration.
“ It’ s been absolutely brilliant. The amount I’ ve learned is unbelievable looking back. It was more than I could have ever imagined”
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The apprenticeship scheme is part of an inter-agency partnership to boost employment opportunities for local people.
18-year-old Jordon Hodge from Twerton has been on site for 18 months and is currently studying for his NVQ Level 3 in carpentry through the City of Bath College. He says that his apprenticeship has helped him to hone his existing skills and learn new ones.
He said,“ Before I started my apprenticeship I was working as a labourer on a building site. I decided that I enjoyed working on site, but that I wanted to learn
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more and develop my own skills. Being able to earn as I learn has been great for me and I would recommend it to anyone considering a career in construction.”
Ronan Sawyer, 19, is also working towards his NVQ Level 3 in carpentry. He is following in the footsteps of his brother Callum who completed his apprenticeship at Bath Riverside in 2012.
Ronan added,“ I left school before working in carpentry for a private firm, but I decided that I wanted to get my qualification to allow me to work on site and open up more options for me. Being
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able to work with a well-known house builder has been brilliant. I’ m learning new skills working on the biggest building project in the city – it’ s a great experience.”
Neil Dawtrey, senior projects director for Crest Nicholson Regeneration added,“ Everyone at Crest Nicholson Regeneration has been really impressed with the energy, enthusiasm and skill of our apprentices. Apprenticeships are an extremely important part of the construction industry, helping to build a well skilled work force for the future.”
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Apprentices Jordan Hodge and Ronan Sawyer |
20 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2017 |
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